On losing to Vitor
Belfort and Chael
Sonnen, both of whom were on TRT: “Unfortunately for
me they were No. 1 contender matchups, which I lost and I lost them
fair and square. They were the rules at the time. They were allowed
to manipulate the system in some ways, but they were the rules. I’m
not bitching about it. I accepted those fights. I never knew that
Vitor or Chael were on testosterone replacement therapy at the
time, but I don’t think it would have changed anything if I did.
I’ve never turned down an opponent.”

On TRT being banned: “Now that TRT is not around
anymore, I think that’s a great thing. It’s great for the sport. I
was never a fan in the first place. I think as you get older, you
gain more experience and then if you’re too old to do it, you’ve
got to hang your gloves up. Fortunately the athletic commissions
and the UFC, they agree with this same notion.”

On whether he noticed a strength difference when fighting
opponents on TRT: “No. To be honest, the Chael fight,
there was a lot of grappling involved in that fight and no, I can’t
say I ever did. To be honest, the only time I’ve ever been
outmuscled in a fight was when I fought Matt Hamill.
I remember thinking, Holy s--t, this guy is strong. That was the
only time. So no, I can’t say that the TRT has ever been an
advantage like that. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, but I never
really noticed it during the fight.”

On what a win over Kennedy does for him: “I think
it certainly puts me right up there at the top of the list.
Obviously Vitor … I’m not sure what’s going on with the Nevada
commission, but I think Vitor’s out for a little while, so forget
about him. Obviously Machida is fighting for the belt and then
after that, who is there? I think Jacare’s got an injury as well at
the moment. As I said, I’ve won seven of my last nine. I’ve been a
perennial top-10 fighter ever since I was in the middleweight
division. I bring a lot of excitement to the division. I think if I
put on a good performance, I think I certainly deserve a title
shot. It’s up to the UFC whether or not I’m worthy. I’ll certainly
be pleading my case, but who knows? Maybe after Tim Kennedy, maybe
one more win, but I certainly think I’m up there. … The way the
situation is at the moment, Anderson
Silva’s out for a while, Vitor’s out for a while, Machida’s
fighting for the belt. Once [Machida and champion Chris
Weidman] settle that, I think there may be a possibility for me
to get my title shot.”